Things have been good!

I hope all of you Mothers out there had a wonderful Mother's Day. I had a great Mother's Day weekend. I'm so thankful for the three amazing boys in my life.

As usual, Mother's Day weekend was also the same time as the fishing opener. Pat had plans to go fishing all day on Saturday. I had a PCA scheduled to work for a few hours on Saturday. I knew this would help break up the day for both Cole and myself. Unfortunately, the PCA had been sick since Tuesday and she could not work on Saturday. When I told Cole this on Friday night, he immediately asked to go see Grandma Schusted and go with her to the mall. In fact, he wanted to go that night. We called Eileen right away and she said she would watch Cole for a while on Saturday. Thank God for helpful and understanding grandparents!

The boys and I did several things on Saturday. We started out going to Menard's. Cole loves that store. He wanted me to take him to the store in Coon Rapids because it has an elevator. He behaved really well and had a great time looking at air compressors, lawn mowers and other fun things. Cole picked out a chocolate candy bar as a treat and he waited patiently while we checked out. Then it was off to Coon Creek Park. We had a fun time there. It is a beautiful park with so many things to do. The boys played so nicely together at the playground. They laughed while swinging and playing on the equipment. The park has a bridge over a creek and a nice long walking path. We threw rocks in the creek, ran on the bridge and took a long walk together. The boys held hands and pointed out birds in the sky. It was wonderful. Cole and Connor cooperated so well when it was time to leave. The day was off to a great start!

After dropping off Connor at gymnastics, Cole and I stopped at home and played. Then it was time to take him to Grandma Schusted's house. Cole was so excited to go to the mall with her. When we got there, he looked at me and said, "Cole stay here. You go." Cole had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa. They took him to Rosedale mall. Cole took them on his usual route- elevators, bookstore, DQ, more elevators, etc. Cole could easily have a job as tour guide of Rosedale, Southdale and the Mall of America!

Soon enough, Cole was back at home and the three of us had a fun time playing. The weather was nice and the boys were being so well behaved. Cole got to use Grandpa Denny's tiller and Cole raked his "garden". We rode our bikes to the park a few times and mowed the grass. It was such a nice day, an early Mother's Day present for me. Sometimes these days can be hard; when you are by yourself with both boys. Times like this probably don't phase most families, but in our family, things can get rough when you're out numbered, especially for a long period of time. I was so thankful the day went so well. I was glad Pat got to enjoy a day on the water with his brother, my dad and brother. 

On Sunday, I woke up to a host of cards and gifts. It was so nice. I'm so thankful to have such a wonderful husband and two of the best little boys on the planet. Pat took the boys outside so I could shower and get ready in peace. I then took Connor with me to the Mother's Day brunch at Majestic Oaks. We met my family there and had a fun time. I laughed at Connor, who despite a HUGE room full of food, chose bacon and cinnamon rolls! Pat tried to get Cole to go to his parent's house, but today Cole wasn't having it. Instead, he insisted on going to Grandpa Denny's. In fact, Pat and Cole were waiting in the driveway when Grandpa and Grandma got home from brunch! 

We spent some time at the Cooney's and Pat was able to visit his mom for a while. We met at home later on and enjoyed a nice evening together. The weekend truly was great. I was so very thankful, as some of my past Mother's Days have not gone nearly as well. 

On Monday, Cole played in his second Miracle League game of the season and he hit the ball all by himself (without the tee) for the first time. Check out the video!!!

We are excited for this Saturday. Our families are doing the MN Autism Center walk around Lake Calhoun on Saturday. It should be a fun time and a great opportunity to raise money for the Autism Center. It will be interesting to see how far Cole and Connor will walk, the lake is 3 miles around! After that, Cole will meet up with his PCA, Haley, who will drop him off at the respite house for his fifth stay there. 

Last night I officially became a hockey mom. Connor wanted to try Intro Mites after taking ice skating lessons this spring. He did a great job and had so much fun showing his skills. I feel like I grew up in a hockey arena, so this is familiar territory for me!

We are hoping the weather holds out so Pat can enjoy some time away fishing, while Cole is at the respite house. I plan to host a gathering for close friends on Saturday and enjoy quality time with Connor on the other days. 

Have a great weekend everyone and Happy Mother's Day to all of you mothers out there. There is no more important job in this world.